For the fans and the high-finance guys, Texas A&M's seemingly imminent move from the Big 12 to the Southeastern Conference represents a cataclysmic change, a historic new course for the university's athletic program.

Yet for several future Aggies, current high school seniors who have already verbally committed to becoming part of football coach Mike Sherman's highly regarded incoming freshman class of 2012, it doesn't appear to be such a big deal.

The SEC's storied reputation notwithstanding, the Texas A&M recruits sound nonplussed, or even blasé. Galena Park's Tyrone Taylor, in fact, said he had only recently become aware of the SEC move, never mind that his brother, Tyrell, is a freshman linebacker at A&M this season.

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SEE YOU IN THE SEC

Area players who have verbally committed to Texas A&amp;M:

Pos., player High school

WR Bralon Addison Hightower

OL Adrian BellardBrenham

DT Logan DavidBrenham

QB Matt DavisKlein Forest

Ath Troy GreenBrenham

DB Kenneth MarshallS. Houston

Pos., player High school

OL Mike Matthews Elkins

WR Jaevon RichardsonBaytown Lee

DE Tyrone TaylorGalena Park

Ath Corey ThompsonElkins

RB Trey WilliamsDekaney

"I signed with them to play in the Big 12," Taylor said, "but (the conference) doesn't much matter to me. I picked A&M because of the school, and I'm still going there, no matter what happens."

South Houston defensive back Kenneth Marshall confessed he didn't know a lot about the SEC's vaunted reputation. But while the powerhouse conference has claimed five consecutive BCS national championships and six in the last eight years, Marshall suggests the Aggies are bringing plenty to the table themselves.

"I signed with A&M because of their history, their tradition," he said. "I'm an Aggie. I'm down for whatever (Texas A&M) is down for. I'm going to play whoever lines up in front of me."

117 and dying?

But regrets were expressed on one count. To be an Aggie is to have a visceral need to beat the University of Texas, and the 117-year-old rivalry that dates to 1894 is imperiled with the schools apparently heading in opposite directions.

"I really want to play Texas," said Dekaney running back Trey Williams, one of A&M's most prized catches. "They've been so wrong in what they're doing."

"I'll be really, really upset (to not face Texas)," Davis said. "Especially now with what's happening and all the trash talking we're hearing from their recruits in the media about me and our (recruiting) class. I'd love to play them."

But Davis also finds the prospect of taking on the giants of the SEC compelling.

"It's definitely exciting," he said. "The SEC is the best conference in the (country). I'm looking forward to competing against those teams, to being up to the test. The type of athletes they've got … they're the biggest, the fastest, the strongest."

"I'm just going to A&M to get an education and play the sport I love," he said. "I want to compete against the best, so if (the SEC) is the best, that's good."

Mixed feelings

The players' coaches had varied reactions to the Aggies' plans. Galena Park's Ray Zepeda, a 1993 A&M graduate himself, owns up to having mixed feelings.

"I would hope we would continue to play Texas and keep some of the other traditional rivalries," Zepeda said. "But in the SEC, you're talking about the most competitive conference in the nation. From a recruiting standpoint, it's going to provide A&M with some advantages they don't currently have. This is one way for them to set themselves apart. If they can make a move that will help solidify their future, I don't see how you can turn that down.

Three of Glen West's Brenham Cubs are headed up the road to A&M. West turned 50 this week, making him old enough to already have lamented the breakup of the Southwest Conference - never mind the Big 12. He says it's "really strange to think of Texas and Texas A&M being in two different leagues" but calls the prospect of the Aggies' bringing Alabama, Auburn, Florida and LSU, et al., to the neighborhood "awfully exciting."

"Ten of those teams," he said, "think they're all going to win 10 games every year. When they don't, coaches get fired and fans get upset. Are the Aggies ready to be part of that? We'll see."

C. L. Whittington, Marshall's coach at South Houston, has no opinion on the Aggies' move except to say, "You hope everything goes well for them. As a (high school) coach, you're just happy to give your kids an opportunity to play ball somewhere and get an education."